


A Wish Your Heart Makes

by Ralkana



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Disney World & Disneyland, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2013-12-05
Packaged: 2018-01-03 13:11:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ralkana/pseuds/Ralkana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The students of SHIELD Academy spend a day at Disneyland.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Wish Your Heart Makes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlyKat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyKat/gifts).



> Disclaimer ~ Marvel's toys, not mine. I'm just playing with them.
> 
> For Aly, who is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, so she gets her Christmas present early. Hope your week gets better, hon!
> 
> Thanks go to Kultiras for the beta! Any mistakes you see are mine and only mine.

 

Phil and his friends were laughing as they playfully pushed and shoved their way through the exit of Big Thunder Mountain.

"Should we go again?" Phil asked, glancing through the entrance. "Line isn't too long."

"Space Mountain!" Jasper yelled, and the others eagerly tossed out their agreement.

"Okay, okay, we'll -- " He broke off as he heard grunting and swearing nearby -- clear sounds of a struggle.

"Leave me alone, assholes!" It was a male voice, tight with anger and frustration, overlapped by cruel laughter.

Turning the corner, Phil saw Loki Laufeyson, Gilmore Hodge, and Justin Hammer -- three of the biggest bullies among the upperclassmen -- shoving a smaller boy around between them.

Phil saw red -- he hated bullies anyway, but when he saw who they were harassing, he started forward without thinking about it.

"Clint!" he called. "There you are, we've been looking for you."

They all stopped to look at him and his friends as they walked up as well -- Nick and Melinda flanking him with Jasper behind her and Maria slightly behind Nick, looking tiny but fierce. Clint took the opportunity to slip by Loki and his buddies, glaring over his shoulder at them as he approached Phil and his friends.

"Yeah, whatever, Barton, your little boyfriend isn't going to be around to save you all the time," Loki sneered.

"Let's go," Hodge told him, shoving his shoulder, and the three of them started up the path, shoving at each other and swearing, ignoring the families they passed that glared at them for their language and behavior.

Phil opened his mouth to say something to Clint, but the other boy just walked straight past him, bright red, a scowl on his face.

Cheeks burning, Phil closed his mouth, shoulders slumping. He stumbled when Nick planted a hand between his shoulderblades and shoved him in the direction Clint was walking. He turned around to glare at his best friend, and Nick rolled his eyes and gestured after Clint.

With a deep breath, he half-jogged toward the other boy, who was moving pretty fast. Phil was very aware of his friends trailing him, listening -- with gleeful smiles on their faces, he was sure. His crush was pretty well hidden from the student body in general, but these were his _friends_ , and they had all heard him moan pitifully about the hot boy on the track & field team who never missed.

"Hey, um," he started, and Clint stopped without turning around.

"You didn't have to do that," he muttered. "I was fine, I didn't need your help."

"I... I know," Phil said, feeling uncharacteristically flustered. How was it that he could address the whole student body and not get nervous, and one really cute boy made him stutter and blush? "I just... why ruin your day breaking your hand on some bonehead's skull, you know?"

"How do you even know my name, anyway?" Clint asked, looking suspiciously over his shoulder.

Phil felt his cheeks heat again and inwardly cursed his fair complexion. "Oh, um, we, uh, we have the same math class," he said, like he didn't spend every moment he could watching the other boy like a creeper. "I, um, I'm Phil Coulson."

Clint laughed. "I know who you are, dude. Varsity soccer captain, student body president, yearbook editor, debate club captain, varsity basketball, student liaison to the PTSA -- so, like, are you trying to get on _every_ page of the yearbook?"

Phil blushed again as Nick laughed behind him. "You forgot chamber singers and French club."

"And Amnesty International," Maria chimed in.

Phil turned to glare at them, glad for once that Melinda and Jasper were too busy making out to add their two cents. "Shut up."

"Nick Fury,” Nick said with a friendly nod toward Clint. “This is Maria, and the two sucking face over there are Jasper and Melinda. We're heading toward Space Mountain. You wanna come?"

Clint glanced at all of them, gaze lingering a tiny bit longer on Phil, who felt his cheeks heat again and hoped the other boy couldn't tell.

"Sure," Clint said with a shrug, but his smile was a small, shy thing. He looked back up the path that Laufeyson and his minions had taken. "Thanks. But, uh, is there another way we can go?"

 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

 

"These are ridiculous," Nick said, crossing his arms. "I am not getting a hat with ears on it."

"Come on, Nick. Don't be a jerk. We're all getting one," Maria told him, and Phil grinned at Melinda -- Maria might be a freshman, but she had no problems going toe to toe with Nick, who was like a foot taller than her.

"Oh god, peer pressure," Jasper moaned, but he was grinning, already trying on a Goofy hat with ears that hung over his shoulders.

"How is that any different from how you normally look?" Melinda asked with a grin over her shoulder before she went back to looking through the hats.

Jasper smacked her lightly on the ass, and she elbowed him less lightly in the stomach and then chose a simple Minnie Mouse headband with ears and a red polka dot bow.

Maria's grin looked exactly like the manic grin normally worn by the Cheshire Cat on the hat she picked up. "This one."

She picked one up that looked like Jack Skellington. "This one, Nick, come on. It's either this or the pirate one."

"Not the pirate one." He snatched the Nightmare Before Christmas one from her hand and stared at it, a hint of a smile playing around his mouth. "This one's all right, I guess."

Maria just rolled her eyes and fitted the bright pink Cheshire Cat hat on her head.

"Did you pick one?" Phil asked Clint. He had his eye on one he wanted, but... it was such a geeky choice, and Clint was _right there_ , closer than he'd ever been to Phil before. What if he laughed?

Clint was looking at the hats, and Phil watched, swallowing harshly as the other boy bit his lip, looking uneasy.

"I... I really shouldn't," Clint said quietly.

"Come on, Clint, you need a souvenir!" Jasper said as he handed his hat and his cash over so they could embroider it for him.

The tips of Clint's ears turned red, and Phil fought off a wince, remembering gossip he'd -- unwillingly -- heard at the last PTSA meeting. Clint was a scholarship student at SHIELD Academy, and a foster kid as well. He probably didn't have a lot of disposable income.

"It's okay," Phil said easily. "You don't have to get one. I don't think I will either."

Jasper opened his mouth, but Melinda squeezed his arm, and he grunted, subsiding back to silence.

Clint squared his shoulders. "Screw it. I need a souvenir, right? But, um, I'm not gonna get one with ears."

He caught the attention of the shop attendant and pointed at a hat behind the counter. "That one, please. And I'd like it to say 'Hawkeye', please."

Pulling a battered wallet out of his pocket, he forked over his cash and then glanced at Phil. "Which one are you getting?"

Phil shrugged, reaching for a traditional hat, plain with Mickey ears, but he stopped halfway. "I... haven't decided."

Jasper snorted. "Coulson wants the R2-D2 one, but he doesn't want to look like a big nerd in front of you."

Phil glared at him. "Shut up, Sitwell, before I gag you with your Goofy ears."

He sneaked a glance toward Clint, who was watching him with those sharp eyes. Clint smirked, but it was teasing rather than mean. "Dude, I just bought a Robin Hood hat. I'm not gonna make fun of you for getting a Star Wars hat. Get what you want. This was your idea anyway."

Phil smiled, embarrassed, but picked up the R2-D2 hat. Handing it to the attendant, he said, "Coulson, please," and spelled it for her.

"What's Hawkeye?" Phil asked as he turned back toward Clint.

The other boy looked flustered and Phil tried not to find it adorable -- and lost the fight. Clint's cheeks went pink and he ducked his head, shrugging.

"I, uh... I used to belong to an archery club, at my last -- where I used to live. That's what my friends called me."

He looked a little sad now, remembering friends he surely missed, and Phil felt like kicking himself -- the last thing he wanted to do was make Clint feel bad.

"I've, uh -- I've seen you during track and field practice -- not like I've been -- I mean, during soccer practice, sometimes -- "

"Smooth, Coulson," Jasper snickered, and Phil very carefully stepped back directly onto the other boy's foot. Jasper swore and backed off, muttering a complaint at Melinda, who just rolled her eyes at him.

"You're really good," Phil finished, hoping his cheeks were not as red as they felt.

"Thanks." Clint smiled. "So're you. At soccer, I mean."

Phil grinned, unable to help himself. The thought that Clint might've been watching him while he was watching Clint made him feel like he could jump off the Matterhorn and fly.

"What should we do while they're embroidering our hats?" Maria asked.

"Ooh, Small World," Jasper said eagerly, and Melinda nodded at his side.

"Yeah, can we?" Maria asked, bouncing on her feet as she glanced between Nick and Phil.

"Sounds good to me," Nick said with a grin, looking at Clint. "What do you think?"

He glanced at all of them, lingering on Phil, who blinked innocently at him.

"...sure," Clint said, aiming for enthusiastic and ending up somewhere around resigned.

Jasper snickered. "Oh god, man, your _face_."

At that, no one could hold their laughter, not even Phil. Clint reddened and then ended up laughing too.

Jasper slung an arm companionably over Clint's shoulder, and he looked surprised, and then bashfully pleased, his cheeks pinkening a little more.

"Indiana Jones?" Phil suggested, and with a whoop, Maria led the way.

 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~**

 

The daylight had completely faded when they stumbled, laughing, out of the Tower of Terror. Nick glanced up at the sky.

"We should probably head back across, find a good place to watch the fireworks," he suggested, and the others all murmured agreement. Jasper wrapped an arm around Melinda, and she leaned into him as they moved toward the exit of California Adventure and back toward the Magic Kingdom. Nick and Maria followed them, fervently debating the merits of various thrill rides and roller coasters as they went. Phil and Clint lagged slightly behind, Phil steadfastly ignoring the wink Nick aimed at him.

Phil watched as Clint happily resettled his Robin Hood hat back on his head.

"I always liked that movie," Phil told him as they slowly followed the others, and his breath hitched the tiniest bit, fingers clenching around his own hat in his hands, as Clint grinned at him.

"Formative experience," he said with a laugh. "You're not going to put your hat back on?"

Phil glanced down at the R2-D2 hat in his hands and shrugged. "It's a little..."

"Geeky?" Clint teased gently, and Phil shrugged again, cheeks warming. "I think it's cute," Clint said in a softer voice, and Phil glanced up to see Clint staring at him, face serious, but the hint of a smile playing around his lips.

Phil blinked in surprise. "Yeah?"

Clint's smile grew a little. "Yeah."

Phil grinned, hoping it didn’t look as goofy as it felt, and slipped the hat back on his head. Clint chuckled.

"Much better."

He bumped his shoulder against Phil's and then stayed close, their arms and shoulders occasionally bumping as they walked. Phil wished he were brave enough to catch Clint's hand and tangle their fingers together, but what if he was wrong? What if Clint was just being friendly?

"I, um, I wanted to say thank you," Clint said, so quietly it was hard to hear him in the crowd around them. "For helping me, with Loki and those assholes, and um, for inviting me to stay with you guys all day. You didn't have to do that."

"I -- we wanted to," Phil told him. He took a deep breath. "I wanted to. Spend the day with you, I mean."

Clint's smile was shy and Phil wanted to kiss it right off his lips, right there in the middle of the park. "Thanks," he said again. "I, um, I've had a really nice day. It was fun."

"Disneyland's always fun," Phil said with a grin, and Clint's smile faltered as he shrugged.

"This is, um, this is my first time here."

Phil blinked at him. "Really? But you didn't even -- we didn't even see half the park! If we'd known that, we would've done things differently! We'll have to come back so you can see the rest -- maybe just you and me?"

The words slipped out before he could stop himself. His heart pounded, sinking when Clint wouldn't meet his eyes, shrugging again.

"I don't... I don't think that -- it's kind of -- "

He looked so uncomfortable that Phil frowned, and then he realized -- a trip to Disneyland wasn't exactly cheap.

"Um, we could go to the movies? Instead? Or maybe just grab a pizza together?" he asked, heart pounding again. "I mean. If you want. We don't -- "

"Okay," Clint said quickly, and there it was, that grin that made Phil's mind kind of blank out for a few seconds. "That -- that sounds great."

"Yeah?" Phil asked in disbelief, and Clint laughed.

"Yeah. Okay."

"Coulson!" Phil glanced up to see Nick waving at them from the really good spot his friends had staked out. Their friends, now, he thought happily, knowing his friends had basically adopted Clint as their own, even without knowing that he and Clint might be heading towards -- well. Something else. He wasn't going to get his hopes up. He wasn't.

They joined the others, Nick proudly clapping Phil on the back -- his dazed happiness was probably visible on his face, but it was okay, because Clint looked pretty happy too.

The lights went down and the music started just as they got settled, and Phil leaned against Clint's side, content, grinning when the other boy leaned back into him.

Phil loved fireworks, always had, and he lost himself in the show for a while, staring at the sky with a grin on his face at the perfectly synchronized music and pyrotechnics. Through it all, he was always aware of the boy at his side, and as many times as he'd been to Disneyland in his life, as many fireworks shows as he'd seen here, he'd never been this damn happy during one.

The music was ramping up toward the finale, a particularly bright and awesome sequence of color and light exploding above them, and he laughed, turning to see how Clint was enjoying it. His laugh died in his throat when he realized Clint was watching him, a smile on his lips, his beautiful eyes filled with what looked like longing. Phil blinked.

"You look like you're having so much fun," Clint said, and Phil shrugged, ducking his head.

"I love fireworks," he mumbled.

"I think it's really great."

Phil glanced back up through his eyelashes at the other boy, and Clint's arm twitched by his, his fingers brushing Phil's. Taking a chance, Phil grabbed his hand, twining their fingers together when Clint didn't pull away.

"Can I kiss you?" Clint murmured, the sound of it almost lost in the music, the booming fireworks, and the appreciative gasps of the crowd around them.

Swallowing nervously, Phil nodded, his eyes closing and a happy grin breaking free as Clint's lips found his.

The show crescendoed to a magnificent finish, music swelling as light and color filled the sky, and for the first time in his life, Phil didn't even notice.

**END**

 

**Author's Note:**

> The hats: [Phil's](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/ralkana/misc/fic/r2d2_zps6be3994b.jpg), [Clint's](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/ralkana/misc/fic/robinhood_zpsa8dfdf06.jpg), [Nick's](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/ralkana/misc/fic/skellington_zps645af625.jpg), [Maria's](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/ralkana/misc/fic/cheshirecat_zps4b81db2e.jpg), [Melinda's](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/ralkana/misc/fic/minnie_zps0985a2e3.jpg), and [Jasper's](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/ralkana/misc/fic/goofy_zps06d97132.jpg). 
> 
> Inspired by [this post](http://alykat86.tumblr.com/post/65045681157/clint-coulson-high-school-au-senior-class-trip), and Aly's prompt on it. Sorry it took so long, hon! Merry Christmas. *g*


End file.
